Worldwide Watsonshttps://worldwidewatsons.com
Have tech, will travel! Oh, and freelance too...
Fri, 15 Mar 2019 04:54:56 +0000 en-US
hourly
1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.1A photo I composed to memorialize my mom 2 years after her passing. The rose is from her funeral bouquet. I had painted the rock when I was a child.https://worldwidewatsons.com/a-photo-i-composed-to-memorialize-my-mom-2-years-after-her-passing-the-rose-is-from-her-funeral-bouquet-i-had-painted-the-rock-when-i-was-a-child/
https://worldwidewatsons.com/a-photo-i-composed-to-memorialize-my-mom-2-years-after-her-passing-the-rose-is-from-her-funeral-bouquet-i-had-painted-the-rock-when-i-was-a-child/#respondMon, 09 May 2016 12:53:00 +0000http://worldwidewatsons.com/?p=1089from Instagram: http://ift.tt/1rKlFyd

]]>https://worldwidewatsons.com/a-photo-i-composed-to-memorialize-my-mom-2-years-after-her-passing-the-rose-is-from-her-funeral-bouquet-i-had-painted-the-rock-when-i-was-a-child/feed/0Greetings from the Orlando area!https://worldwidewatsons.com/greetings-from-the-orlando-area/
https://worldwidewatsons.com/greetings-from-the-orlando-area/#respondSun, 13 Mar 2016 22:38:15 +0000http://worldwidewatsons.com/?p=1055Well, WorldwideWatsons fans, we have indeed hit “pause” on the nomadic wanderings and settled into a long-term rental home outside of Orlando. (You know it’s a “pause” when you buy furniture. Okay, yeah, it was Craigslist furniture, but it’s ours! 😀 ) It’s funny, though…because it still feels like we’re on the road trip! (Probably […]

]]>Well, WorldwideWatsons fans, we have indeed hit “pause” on the nomadic wanderings and settled into a long-term rental home outside of Orlando. (You know it’s a “pause” when you buy furniture. Okay, yeah, it was Craigslist furniture, but it’s ours! )

It’s funny, though…because it still feels like we’re on the road trip! (Probably because, let’s face it, we’re living where y’all go on vacation. *grin*) We’ve got a nice home with a pool (yay for negotiating pool AND lawn care into the monthly rent), newly-minted 15-month passes for Universal Orlando (hooray for a week of major projects for me, almost to the dime of what I needed to save to buy those), and I definitely can’t complain about 80s in February and March.

We’ve settled into our new ward (=church congregation, for our non-Mormon followers) and started making friends there and in the neighborhood. THAT is definitely something the kids were longing for, during our 7 months of travel; it’s been gratifying—and humbling—to have been told by more than one person already, “I think you moved to Florida just for us.”

So, even though we now have Florida drivers’ licenses and plates on the cars, it honestly feels like this is just an extension of the Worldwide Watsons’ Road Trip—and it probably will feel that way for awhile, as we explore everything this part of the country has to offer (*cough* beaches *cough*).

And hey, if you need a home-cooked meal or a place to crash on your next visit to Hogwarts or The Mouse, you know where to find us!

]]>https://worldwidewatsons.com/greetings-from-the-orlando-area/feed/0From one adventure to anotherhttps://worldwidewatsons.com/from-one-adventure-to-another/
https://worldwidewatsons.com/from-one-adventure-to-another/#respondSat, 02 Jan 2016 19:54:35 +0000http://worldwidewatsons.com/?p=1033Welcome, 2016! It’s a little crazy, looking at our brainstormed bucket list that we began on 1/1/2015. At the time, we didn’t even know if we’d get to take the adventure at all, let alone if we’d hit all the stops. While there are more than a few we haven’t done yet — because we haven’t […]

It’s a little crazy, looking at our brainstormed bucket list that we began on 1/1/2015. At the time, we didn’t even know if we’d get to take the adventure at all, let alone if we’d hit all the stops. While there are more than a few we haven’t done yet — because we haven’t been to that part of the country, or the timing wasn’t right (tulip fields in August, nope), or we chose other options — we still checked off quite a few. (Mostly mine…hey, perks of being the “cruise director”!)

As we enter the new year with the very real possibility of hitting the pause button on our nomadic lifestyle, so that Rob can pursue full-time employment, I struggle to stop myself from feeling like it’s a failure somehow. But, I think it’s only a failure if we ignore the lessons we’ve learned over the last 5+ months:

The kids are not as…intrepid as we had hoped they would become. While I give them tons of credit for being good sports most of the time as we’ve kept them uprooted and wandering, we saw almost immediately that they miss having a sense of community. I love that they’ve made temporary friends all around the U.S., but the younger two especially seem to crave more stability. I would love to finish the year, and maybe even go abroad for a Year Two — but it seems to not be the right thing at the moment. Maybe someday.

Freelance income, particularly within Rob’s field, is very difficult to predict. Our lean weeks far outnumber our “fat” ones, and while we have enough socked away in savings to continue our travels for quite awhile on zero income, we’re not comfortable with the idea of running the accounts down. We feel far more at ease keeping that money in savings, settling down somewhere for awhile, and saving towards other goals (e.g. early retirement, longer cruises, preparing the teenagers for jobs and/or college). What we have learned is that we don’t need the typical trappings of so-called “stability” to keep ourselves afloat, and we’ll be more likely to take calculated risks that might bring us joy in the long run. (For instance, Rob applied for a job sweeping floors — at NASA. NASA, people.) We have a much better sense of how much we need — and don’t need — for day-to-day life.

Being a working mom means that I can’t do it all. Or, at the very least, it means that I can do many things halfway. I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve been able to pick up the accidental career of freelance writing for the last year, and it feels good to know that I can support the family if needed. What I’m not so good at is working…and homeschooling…and running a household…and travel planning. Stuff falls by the wayside, and more often than not it seems to be in the “attention to the kids’ education” department.

Those are probably the three biggest factors in our looking to shift out of nomad mode and back into something a little more traditional — and yes, it’s bittersweet.

But again, when I look at our dry erase board bucket list from a year ago and then scroll through the pictures here on the blog, it’s easy to remember to be grateful for what is instead of feeling guilty for what isn’t. It’s been an AMAZING experience to see 17 different states (soon to be 21 as we travel from TX to FL for our next, and possibly last, VRBO home), to live in such a variety of communities and be welcomed there, and to check off my lifelong bucket list of a massive road trip with my family.

Whatever happens next for the Worldwide Watsons, I doubt we’ll ever lose our spirit of adventure, our desire to See All the Things, or the memories we’ve created together as we’ve wandered the country. What a gift it’s been!

]]>https://worldwidewatsons.com/dream-come-true-warm-enough-to-swim-on-christmas-eve-eve-winter-texas-bucketlist-digitalnomad-beach/feed/1Good Sleep: The Gift of a Great Mattress That Keeps on Givinghttps://worldwidewatsons.com/good-sleep-the-gift-of-a-great-mattress-keeps-on-giving/
https://worldwidewatsons.com/good-sleep-the-gift-of-a-great-mattress-keeps-on-giving/#respondMon, 21 Dec 2015 01:34:46 +0000http://worldwidewatsons.com/?p=997The Sleep You Get Is Only As Good As The Mattress You Sleep On Many digital nomads among us tend to drive RVs all over the country. They’re the lucky ones. Like turtles, they carry their houses with them and wherever they are, they’re home. The rest of us, when we’re not at a longer-term VRBO […]

Many digital nomads among us tend to drive RVs all over the country. They’re the lucky ones. Like turtles, they carry their houses with them and wherever they are, they’re home.

The rest of us, when we’re not at a longer-term VRBO or other home or apartment rental, are found sleeping on cheap hotel/motel mattresses, on the mattresses of kind friends and family we’re staying with, on air mattresses, or even on the cold, hard ground when camping.

RV-ers get to choose their sleeping arrangement every night and the know they can count on it being more or less the same experience each time.

Here at Worldwide Watsons, we do research on products that we believe will benefit all digital nomads. It just so happens that we’ve found a product that benefits the RV set immensely.

As you can tell, this post is for all the RV-ers who still haven’t quite found the right mattress to meet their needs. Maybe the mattress you have is one that came with the RV when you bought it. Or, maybe it was the cheaper but not necessarily the most comfortable alternative on a tight budget.

Mattress Industry Disruption

You have probably found yourself in the “uncomfortable” position of having to choose between the awesome digital nomad lifestyle and a good night’s sleep.

There’s a new product that is poised to disrupt the mattress industry. It’s called the Casper mattress.

What caught our eye about this mattress with a friendly name was a CNN “puff piece” about the company and its single product.

Specifically, it was the part of the video about the way the mattress is shipped. Usually you think of a mattress, especially a king or queen-sized one, being about the hardest and most expensive thing to ship this side of a piano.

But not the Casper.

This thing, in all its sizes, ships in a box that can be delivered to you on a bicycle (ok, a bicycle built for carrying boxes, but a bicycle nonetheless). Watch the video to see…

The mattress was developed as part of a scrappy little startup run by entrepreneurs Philip Krim, Jeff Chapin, Gabe Flateman, Luke Sherwin, and Neil Parikh in April 2015 beginning with 25 employees. Having done their market research, they knew the public was ready for something new in sleep comfort. Sleep Number mattresses are complex and bulky, and “mattress warehouse”-type mattresses are all the same and soon lose their form.

Using data gathered from many different sources, they built and tested dozens of mattress configurations until they were able to conclude that one specific combination led to a better night’s sleep.

Two factors were key: bounce and sink. In other words, they wanted to balance the countouring that occurs when you lay on the mattress with the ability of the mattress to return to and keep its original shape. For anyone who hates the dent that appears where they tend to sleep the most on a mattress, this is a wonderful thing!

Construction of the Casper Mattress

The top layer is hypoallergenic latex foam with open cells for ventilation. No more sweating on a hot mattress in warm weather.

The next layer down is composed of memory foam that keeps its original shape pretty much forever.

The third layer is a thick layer of foam.

All three layers are enveloped in a woven cover.

But, get this…the cover is removable! If you’ve ever wanted to wash the grubby cover of a traditionally-made mattress, you’ll appreciate the ability to take the cover off a Casper, toss it in the wash, and put it back on just as fresh and new as when you bought it. Nice!

Made in the U.S.A.

One hundred percent of the Casper mattress is made in the United States, from the covers being hand-sewn in Illinois and South Carolina to the insides being made in Georgia and Pennsylvania, it’s a guilt-free product if supporting American workers is high on your list of values.

Free Shipping

Delivery is free via UPS in the U.S. and Canada. If you happen to be a digital nomad living within a 60-minute delivery time-frame in New York City or San Francisco, you’ll get courier delivery for free.

Ten-Year Guarantee

Casper seems to stand behind its product. It carries a 10 year guarantee. And, you get to try it for 100 nights. If for any reason you don’t love it, Casper will pick it up and take it back free of charge.

Final Word

Our family isn’t an RV family. We have two vehicles, neither of which is big enough to carry a full-sized mattress like the Casper. But if we did have an RV, we’d definitely be buying this, at least for us adults. Given the 100 night trial period, it should be more than enough to figure out whether it suits us. Your own mileage may vary, especially with something as personal as a mattress. If you like it, or if you don’t, please be sure to review it on our product page.

]]>https://worldwidewatsons.com/happy-thanksgiving-from-port-aransas-tx-digitalnomad/feed/0Worldwide Watsons Make The Evening Newshttps://worldwidewatsons.com/thanksgiving-corpus-christi/
https://worldwidewatsons.com/thanksgiving-corpus-christi/#respondThu, 26 Nov 2015 18:33:56 +0000http://worldwidewatsons.com/?p=693This Thanksgiving, the Worldwide Watsons crew decided to pay it forward by volunteering at the 72nd annual Joe Salem Thanksgiving Dinner at the Corpus Christi Boys and Girls Club. And the news teams from KiiiTV (Channel 3) and KrisTV were there to cover the event.

This Thanksgiving, the Worldwide Watsons crew decided to pay it forward by volunteering at the 72nd annual Joe Salem Thanksgiving Dinner at the Corpus Christi Boys and Girls Club. And the news teams from KiiiTV (Channel 3) and KrisTV were there to cover the event.

Food line at the Joe Salem Thanksgiving Dinner at the Boys and Girls Club in Corpus Christi, TX

As camera-shy as we are when we’re not directing our own video (66% of us are introverts), we tended to look at and then run away from cameras, though at 1:42 you’ll see Marli checking off an item on her bucket list by sticking out her tongue on live TV. At the beginning of the video, Dad, who was innocently taking raffle tickets at the door and planning on not looking directly into the camera lens when it pointed at him, was caught off guard and, of course, looked directly into the camera lens. Mom, Rachel, and Marli are the ones fleeing the camera just behind Richard Gonzalez, the nice bearded man from Aransas Pass who was interviewed on camera. He made mention of us in his interview.

In a second segment, which is longer and talks more about the event, you see a lot more of us, especially Mom and the kids as they prep to wait tables. Right at the beginning, they’re seen putting on blue gloves. Mom is wearing a peach-colored shirt, Marli is in her Harry Potter hoodie, Josh is in a blue t-shirt, and Rachel in a black t-shirt. Dad is in the background next to the door wearing the red “USA” shirt. Andrew was out sleeping on a couch in the game area.

There was a HUGE crowd. Seating was in two groups. Dad kept checking people in and taking tickets from the moment the event began until the very end when people had to be turned away because the food was all gone. Volunteers and diners were all in good cheer and kind to one another. It was a great feeling to know that people who might not have had any Thanksgiving dinner at all this year were able to participate in all the trimmings, right down to the choice between pecan or pumpkin pie, even if it was a day early. Kids had a great time making crafts and playing games. The organizers raffled off Walmart gift cards and turkeys.

This man, who turned 60 that day, appeared in full outrageous Texas garb, complete with a “big as Texas” blue sombrero and TexMex cowboy boots with toes that curled up about a foot and a half from the floor. He was a hoot! Oh, and, in case he’s reading this right now, that lady in the pink shirt sitting at the table wanted your phone number.

Mom and the Man in the Big Blue Hat at the Joe Salem Thanksgiving Dinner at the Boys and Girls Club in Corpus Christi, TX

What did you and your family do to “pay it forward” this Thanksgiving? We’d love to hear about your favorite charity or cause in the comments!